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Ochocinco Reduced to Forgotten Man
As a player who starred on his own VH1 reality show, founded his own news network, performed on Dancing With the Stars and became one of the NFL’s most flamboyant personalities, Chad Ochocinco always seemed tailor-made for Super Bowl Media Day. Except this year, the first season he reached the big game and his first…
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Tiger Woods Is Tantalizingly Close
Through the first three rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship in the United Arab Emirates, Tiger Woods was in flashback mode, playing as if he were still the world’s No. 1 golfer by a large margin. He was atop the leaderboard entering Sunday’s final round, a position he hadn’t enjoyed in an official tournament in…
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Prep Athletes Should Never Trust a College Coach
Greg Schiano isn’t the first college coach to leave his school in the midst of asking high school recruits to enroll. The cycle repeats itself every year. But for sheer dramatic value, nothing beats the scene Thursday at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. (coincidentally, the school that expelled a top football player for offensive…
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Prince Fielder Is New King of Detroit
Prince Fielder was 12 years old when he first made a name for himself in Detroit. The stocky teenager and son of slugger Cecil Fielder put on an unbelievable power display at Tiger Stadium, blasting a series of prodigious home runs during batting practice. Fifteen years later, Fielder is returning to Motown to do it…
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Prep Athlete Expelled for Offensive Tweets
“What would my grandmother think?” If Yuri Wright had asked himself that simple question before sending out a series of offensive tweets, he probably wouldn’t have hit the button. And the University of Michigan wouldn’t have rescinded its scholarship offer. And Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., wouldn’t have expelled him. Twitter might be the…
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Longevity and Worship Worked Against Paterno
We’ll probably never see another Joe Paterno, someone who spends his entire adult life at the same school, including 46 seasons as the head coach. And it’s probably best if we’ve seen the last coach-for-life model, even though Paterno accomplished more good than bad since arriving as an assistant at Penn State in 1950. There’s…
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Terrell Owens Finds a Lifeline Indoors
Upon hearing that Terrell Owens has signed with an outfit called the Allen (Texas) Wranglers, many people might initially feel pity. There’s a certain amount of sympathy in seeing an all-time NFL great scuffling to continue his career in the Indoor Football League. Then again, if he’s really going to be paid up to $500,000…
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US Olympic Squad Still a 'Dream Team'
USA Basketball has announced its preliminary 20-man roster for the 2012 Olympics, and once again, it’s quite an impressive list. Among the players with a shot at representing the United States in London are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard. We’ve come a long way since the 2002 World Championships…
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Sports World Closest to MLK's Dream
The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks capped an 11-game schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which has become a sacred day on the NBA calendar. Home teams prepare special MLK tributes to be played in their arenas. The Indiana Pacers did a collaborative reading of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The Washington…
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Faith and Football Feud Over Tim Tebow
Church mothers who never watch football because they’re always in service have heard of him. Preachers who want to make points about incredible faith and overcoming odds have preached about him. And Christians who didn’t have a favorite NFL team or a favorite player have chosen the Denver Broncos and him — Tim Tebow. Tebowmania…
